AI, Captain! Reverse-Engineering Search Engine Algorithms

Before Google transformed into the content police, it was easy to rank highly online. Thanks to duplicate posts and keyword stuffing it was almost impossible to get wrong. Then, search engines got savvy and came up with a way to boost quality over quantity: they developed algorithms.
Nowadays, Google, Bing and Yahoo (yes, it’s still alive) all use AI to enforce their digital law. And, websites have to comply or else their ranking will suffer. Considering the impact of SEO and social media, it isn’t an option.
Still, you shouldn’t see search engine algorithms as a weakness but an opportunity. Quite simply, they provide a blueprint for anyone that is proactive and organised enough to want to make a difference. Here are five ways to reverse-engineer them to your advantage.
Quality Is King
A cliché that is played out in online circles is that content is king. There’s no doubt it’s essential to the cause, but it isn’t the most important feature of a site. Just think that written or video post could be a load of tripe and add no value. Do you think Google will take kindly to this type of content? The answer is no and it’s because of their algorithm. The king of search engines has pledged to make the Web a place where quality prospers, which is why the AI ranks quality highly. Therefore, anything which is original, engaging, interactive and funny will get a bump up the rankings. If it’s another ‘5 ways to lose weight’ post, the search engines won’t be happy because there are plenty in the digital ether.
URLs Are In The Buff
Keywords and phrases are the best ways to add value and class highly on Google’s rankings. Using customer search terms is straightforward to show the search engines you are putting your readership first. However, optimising content isn’t as simple as it seems on first viewing. To begin with, many words and phrases are grammatically incorrect and don’t make sense. Sticking them in without context looks like keyword stuffing and gets the content graded down, which is a terrible move. Thankfully, naked URLs are on hand to help. A domain such as www.theseopub.com/naked-url-links-are-not-that-natural/ contains everything the site wants to promote. And, it can be included organically as long as you use other URLs and keep them short.
Metadata And The Small Print
Words and phrases are that important that you need to fit them in wherever possible. And, that doesn’t only mean the title or the main body of the text. Posts, written or video, have lots of tags and metadata which are awesome places to optimise content. All you have to do is cheekily sneak them in without being too obvious. For instance, a post might have a tag which explains the concept of the piece as well as the category. Search engines love the small print because it adds extra info for the readers, which then improves their experience.
Help Is Just Around The Corner
One thing you should realise straight away is your lack of skill or experience. Please don’t take this as an insult because you can’t be an expert in every field. Some areas are just not your forte, and that is fine. Well, it is as long as you find a way to bypass your lack of knowledge. SEO Consultant Sam Gipson says optimisation ‘involves carefully analysing a website’s code and content’, which is vital. Why? It’s because it will encourage you to find or hire help. An agency or an individual can be two methods that work wonders regarding search engines. With years of experience and an impressive CV, they should be able to tackle fundamental and advanced problems.
First Past The Post
The FPTP system doesn’t work in politics but it’s a killer in the business world. Google loves originality. In fact, it loves it too much in many people’s humble opinion. Therefore, it will rank sites highly as long as the content is unique and created by the platform. Check out this example for a moment. You create something which gets 10 million views online, and then a bigger platform shares it. In many respects, you’d expect the bigger website to benefit more because their shares will total more than your views. Not to Google. The search engine will always rank you higher because you incepted the idea and that is worth a lot of brownie points. All search engines work this way, too.
How do you feel about search engine algorithms? Are they less scary now than before?